The measurement of the characteristics of complex systems is a technological challenge particularly if the measurements must be carried out in real time as opposed to a laboratory environment. Usually complex systems, such as compounds containing many constituents, or highly detailed tissue images must be analyzed in a laboratory using sensitive and expensive equipment. In some cases, the analysis of tissue images is performed by a qualified and experienced pathologist, who can identify features or patterns in the image that even an unskilled person is unable to detect. As a result, with measurement systems of the type used in laboratories, it is not possible to determine in real time the constituents of materials or compounds outside of the laboratory, or the nature of certain portion of tissue being sampled in the surgical room. Moreover, prior art systems such as a typical grating-based spectrometer, utilize a large number of channels, such as 256, 512 or 1024 channels. This makes the prior art instruments expensive and requires the use of high-end computation equipment to process the data.
What is needed is a fast and cost effective system which allows one to determine the constituents of materials or compounds, for example, outside of the laboratory. Further, it is recognized the need for a reliable pattern recognition system that can provide tissue diagnostics in vivo, in real time.